Local businessman and promoter, Luke Boyea has described the objection made by some residents to the use of land at Penniston for the event as flimsy.
“It’s a funny objection, it’s not like we are going through the cemetery, or we have to go around the cemetery – the cemetery has nothing to do with us,” Boyea told ANN.
He was responding to comments made by Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves who spoke on the matter on radio on June 19 who said that the residents had sent a petition letter to him objecting to the staging of the event scheduled to be held on July 5 at a private location in Penniston.
A letter was also published in which some residents expressed their objection to the use of the land for entertainment because of its proximity to the cemetery.
But Boyea told ANN that the application to hold the event was submitted back in January this year, and that the Physical Planning Board had granted an approval in principle towards the end of April.
According to Boyea, when they submitted the application, they were informed that they were required to have a consultation with the residents of the affected communities.
So, he said that there were advertisements placed in the local newspapers and which aired on local radio stations for about 10 or 11 days before the consultation was held at the Hope Playing Field.
“I got permission to use the Hope Playing Field and had the consultations there and we outlined what we were going to do,” Boyea explained.
There were about 25 persons in attendance according to Boyea and they represented the communities of Vermont and Cane Grove.
But there was no objection to the use of the site and no reference was made to the desecration of the cemetery Boyea said.
The planning authorities recorded the proceedings he said, and a few weeks later, they received the approval in principle, which he explained was the first major hurdle.
Based on the initial approval granted, Boyea said that work began in developing the site for the big event and that among the work that had been done thus far included the clearing of the area and adding aggregate to stabilize the surface.
The cemetery, which is the centre of contention, was always there Boyea said and it is on a separate piece of land.
“Planning must have seen the cemetery and acted accordingly, it’s not like they weren’t aware of it,” he told ANN.
“We are not touching the cemetery; we are not going anywhere near the cemetery,” he continued.
There was a line of trees separating the cemetery and that area is adjacent to the area identified for parking.
“The other thing I find interesting with the cemetery is that the residents mentioned the desecration and cultural values and damaging it, and again we are not interested in damaging anything for anybody.”
“We want to be good neighbours and part of being a good neighbour is that we had agreed that we would only do two events there – this is to limit the inconvenience to people even though there are very limited people living there,” Boyea said.
They also compromised by not cutting down the trees, he added, therefore it is difficult to see the venue from the main road.
He explained that if the cemetery was an issue, then why was it not one when trucks pass by a number of cemeteries in Kingstown during Carnival celebrations, or during events surrounding ‘All Souls’ when parties are organised at some cemeteries across the country.
“The objection to me is flimsy and the other thing you have to take is show me where in St Vincent where you can take 10 acres of land and affect nobody – it is virtually impossible to find 10 acres of reasonably flat land where you can park without affecting anybody,” Boyea reasoned.
Efforts to find another suitable location proved futile, he said saying that it took him and his team about a year to find a suitable venue and that there were other major entertainment events held in the area, referring to the Rhythms and Blues Festival.
“What is the objection? Is the objection about the cemetery or is it about something else?”
According to Boyea, on the night of such events, a lot of police are deployed at the venue.
And there was going to be a police presence at the entrance to the backstage, which he said was the closest point to the cemetery.
“But there was no reason why anyone would want to walk through the cemetery, it wouldn’t take them anywhere; it wouldn’t get them anywhere,” he said.
It could not be an objection relating to garbage either Boyea told ANN.
He explained that teams are hired after the events to clean up the venue and its environs; and for those objecting citing the effect of the noise on Sandals Resort, Boyea noted that the resort was a fairly significant distance aways and that the sound would not be placed facing the direction of Sandals.
“It’s a weird scenario,” he said.
Such events generate a significant sum of income for the government and employs a lot of people.
He said that he has the receipt from the Physical Planning Board about the approval in principle, but that they had not contacted him or informed him about any impasse.
Boyea said that he heard the Prime Minister’s comment about balance and agreed that as a society, we needed to live in balance with each other.
Another point he raised was that soon, the tarmac and runway from the now decommissioned E T Joshua Airport will be the site for the construction of the Acute Referral Hospital.
“So, we kind of running out of spaces where people can go,” he said.
According to him, he said that he thought that it was unfair for anyone to say that because they lived in a particular area and there is a cemetery there that nothing should change.
“Ultimately the people who are complaining, and I don’t think they are really complaining about the cemetery,” he said.
